Roots of the Tree
by Altega
Summary: Clay and his friends are on the move and trying to stay alive amidst the chaos that is their world. But something is out there, and its after them. Or is it after Clay alone?
1. Rocky meeting

The sun was slowly setting over the Mud Kingdom and that made the thick mud cold and thick to the dragons who loved taking a dip in the goop, one such dragon growled softly at the shifting of the day and grumbled to herself as she got up.

Cattail eased out from the mud as she shook off her wings and stretched out the cricks in her joints. She waved her tail behind her as she made her way back to her sleephouse and Sibs. She smiled as she imagined that loving pile they shared as only Siblings could.

She froze as a hard grip seized her tail. She turned and bristled at the sight of the claw holding her tail. It couldn't be.

Slowly others emerged, and she found herself surrounded by them. This meant only one thing: Him.

"What do you piles of rock want?!"

She snapped icily, as she yanked her tail away from the one holding it as it fixed red eyes to her, and pulled the rest of what could only be described as a skeletal frame of a dragon made entirely of stone out of the spongy earth.

"You...know...what...HE...wants..."

Cattail snapped her jaws tersely at the slow grinding voice of the Golem in front of her.

"I don't care what he wants! If he wanted to keep them then he should have taken them! What else was I supposed to do with them?! Just sit there and wait until he-"

She was cut off as a powerful grip seized her by the throat and lifted her completely off the ground. She thrashed about furiously until it let go and a familiar voice cut through the air.

"ENOUGH!"

She coughed as she looked up at the animated creation and noted the shift in eye color. They weren't just seemingly fixed to one point, no they were real. Real warm brown. He was there. In a manner of speaking.

"Cattail."

He addressed her curtly, as he waved down the others and stepped back from her reach. She looked up puzzled, was it him? Or was this someone else? No it had to be him. She glanced around at the other Golems shifting around her. No other dragon known to Pyrrhia possessed this kind of gift; Animation.

She heaved herself up as she rubbed her throat before leveling her gaze at him. She had remembered how they had first met and how he was so different from all the others she'd met in the Mud Kingdom, and how she had guided him through her people's Kingdom. What was a close friendship between them grew to culminate in one night. He'd been fantastic.

But was this the same male? Back in those days he'd have helped her back up. Time changed all it seemed, even those of good heart.

"You know why I'm here."

She looked up from her reverie as the avatar of the first dragon outside her Sibs she had grown to love, bent right down to her face.

"Where. Are. They?"


	2. Paths of the Guardians

Clay retreated into his cave quickly and quietly. It had been another grueling day of training under the guardians. He'd done his best but the Guardians were furious with him. He had been born a killer, nearly killing the others while they were still in the egg, so why did he hesitate to kill now?!

He just felt his heart sink as he found a comfortable nook and curled in on himself. Maybe he'd be lucky and dream of cows tonight, that would certainly help him forget all of what happened today. He felt a tear slip out as he settled into a fretful sleep, unaware of the amazing thing that was about to happen.

* * *

Clay stirred and froze, had he slept through the morning? Oh boy the Guardians were going to kill him!

"Be calm little one."

Clay squeaked and looked around in all four directions, even down and up. ('You never know,' he figured.) No one was there.

"I am right here."

He turned to the soft voice's direction and instead of squeaking again like the six month old he was, he looked up into the kindest pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen.

"Why thank you very much little one. It has been a long time since I have been given a compliment like that."

Clay's face screwed up in confusion, before he thought of something and opened his mouth to ask his question to the pretty dragoness but stopped as she laughed softly.

"No, I am not what you call a NightWing like your friend. If anything, I am something more."

She walked forward but kept her eyes fixed on Clay's. He knew without a shadow of a doubt she wasn't anything like a NightWing. Her scales were a warm honey color and seemed to glow with literal warmth. She had no tail blade like most dragon's did, and the underside of her wings and her underbelly were a beautiful cream color.

"You are very kind. Come, we must not keep the others waiting."

Clay finally found his voice working along with his legs as she gently nosed him in a direction, following close behind him.

"Who are you?"

She smiled at him gently.

"I am called Solus, what is your name?"

Clay thought that was a bit strange.

"True, I could read your mind, but I'd like to hear it from you little one."

Clay felt at ease and returned her smile.

"My name is Clay."

She seemed to think about this for a few moments before turning to him again. Her voice was still gentle but firm.

"Listen to me very carefully, while you are here with us your name shall be Constellation and..."

She waved her wing over him. He felt a tingle from the tip of his snout to his tail tip. He wondered what that was about but stopped when he looked down again. The floor showed a reflection of him, but it wasn't something he recognized.

His body was white, with strange blue symbols along his shoulders and arms, while his underbelly and paws had become an onyx color.

"That shall be how you'll look from now on."

Clay turned to look up at Solus.

"What is all this?"

Solus nuzzled him softly, and Clay was pleasantly surprised to feel actual warmth coming off her scales and calming his frantic heartbeat.

"This is the day you choose a path for yourself...Constellation."

Clay winced as a bright blue light surrounded them and there in front stood ten of the biggest dragons he'd ever seen. Solus was bigger than his Guardians, these dragons were about two or three heads taller than her.

She nudged him forward gently and walked off to the side where a spectacled dragon nodded to her and turned his attention to Clay.

"What are you called young seeker?"

Clay looked at Solus, who smiled again and nodded. Taking a small breath he stepped in between the two groups and spoke as clearly as he could.

"Constellation. My name's Constellation."

There were several murmurs among both parties.

"He has strength to him."

A large dragon spoke up from the group to the right.

"But he also has strong emotion, the founding of great wisdom."

The spectacled dragon shot back from the left.

There was a sigh from Solus's back and Clay looked up in surprise as a tiny dragon jumped off her back.

"Must we begin this ceaseless prattle? I say we let the dragonet decide."

Solus nodded to the small dragon who was only slightly bigger than Clay.

"That's what I say Micronus. Let Constellation decide for himself."

The murmuring ceased and they all stepped away from two paths that Clay hadn't realized were there. He cautiously walked forward, looking to Solus again.

"Go ahead little one."

She purred encouragingly.

Clay smiled a little up at her and walked up to the two paths. The one to the left seemed straightforward but cold, the other to the right had many twists and turns yet it was warmer. He looked between the two until something faint caught his eye.

"Where does that go?"

He pointed in front of him.

Both groups looked at him, puzzled.

"What do you mean, there are only two paths before you?"

Clay shook his head at Solus and pointed each one out.

"I see one on the right with too many turns but it is warm, one to the left that is straight but is too cold and one in front of me."

He didn't see how the others froze as he said that. Solus did her best to remain calm as she asked the question they were all fearing the answer to.

"What do you see of this third path?"

Clay looked hard before he replied.

"I see no path set like the others and I see creatures along the way. I think I see someone out there."

No sooner had he said the words, then a massive dragon appeared before him. Clay squeaked and fell back as the massive dragon bent forward to his level. Clay looked bravely into the fiery red eyes of the black dragon. He knew what a NightWing was and he certainly wasn't one. He looked to be living fire and rock but his eyes held a certain gleam of something Clay couldn't identify.

"So little one, you are the first to see the path I forged so long ago?"

Clay nodded as the others around him recovered from the stunning arrival of the one they thought was long since gone.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE HERE!"

Screeched a voice from the right, joined by others from the left. The massive one swiped his paw through the air and roared at both groups.

"YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHERE I CAN AND CAN NOT BE!"

He looked down at Clay who had scrambled under Solus for safety.

"Especially where he is concerned! It. Is. HIS. Choice!"

He echoed their words as they shrunk back away from him.

Clay slowly emerged from under Solus's warmth and looked again at the three paths. He looked again at the huge black dragon. His eyes still held that strange twinkle in them in spite of his outburst. He looked behind him at his path and made his choice.

He began to walk towards the new arrival.

Both the right and left roared and had Clay curling around himself rather than run away.

The stranger suddenly waved his paw in the air again and it was quiet.

Clay looked up.

All the others were gone. It was just Solus, Micronus, the stranger and himself. He uncurled himself from the sandy ground as the stranger nodded approvingly of him.

"I can see why the warriors would have wanted him to walk their path."

Micronus spoke up next.

"Are you sure he'll be alright?"

The stranger turned to Micronus.

"That will be for him and him alone to decide."

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Micronus flapped his wings and flew off down the path on the left.

Solus stared at the stranger who stared back at her.

"Solus..."

He spoke softly as she smiled back at him with such emotion Clay felt the urge to look elsewhere. She smiled at the little one and looked back to the only male she could ever love.

"Take care of him for me."

Neither male knew who she was addressing but never got the chance to ask before she left down the same path as Micronus. Leaving the two alone with only the path behind the stranger. He looked down at Clay and smiled as he extended a wing out behind him.

"Well then young one, let us go."

The stranger gestured straight ahead before he began to walk off as Clay scrambled after him. The stranger chuckled softly.

"What is your name?"

Clay turned to look up at him and identified the emotion in his eyes; happiness. He was happy. Clay's smile broadened.

"Constellation, what's yours?"

The old one smiled at the small young.

"I am Megatronus."

Clay smiled up at him as they walked onward, down a path he did not know.

"The reason you do not know this path, is because you have to find it for yourself young one."

Clay looked up at him.

"You can read my mind too?"

Megatronus smiled and nodded at him.

"In this plane, limitations become irrelevant. This is but the first of many things I will teach you."

Clay spun around and looked up at him; this powerhouse that made ten other dragons vanish with just a wave of his paw was going to teach him?

"Yes."

He spoke again, leaving Clay behind only briefly before stopping and turning to look back where he was.

"Constellation?"

Clay jerked his head back and raced over to him.

"What troubles you?"

Clay just tried to keep his mind quiet as he spoke. (Though if it worked or not, he had no clue.)

"This all is just happening so fast. And I'm not all that great of a student."

He admitted as he remembered the reprimand from Kestrel floating back up to his mind. Clay wasn't paying attention as her words repeated clearly enough and bumped into something rough.

He jerked back and found himself wrapped in Megatronus's tail. He looked up into the steady gaze fixed on him.

"I shall be the judge of your performance as my pupil. No. One. Else...Clay."

He spoke the last part with a twinkle in his eye as Clay's eyes widened.

"B-b-b-but…"

Megatronus set him down with a smile.

"I know your name. 'Constellation' was a phrase only Solus and I used many years ago and when you remembered Kestrel, I looked at your mind so I could help you better. You did well keeping me out for a short time. You do indeed have qualities the others would value."

Clay smiled at the praise from his new mentor.

"But I share Solus's fears. When and if you must interact with the others, your name is Constellation. If they ever discover you are half blood, run to me."

Megatronus fixed Clay with an expression he hadn't seen before from the Guardians, one that mixed equal parts of genuine concern for his well fare and fear for him.

Slowly he nodded, though not entirely understanding what he meant by 'half blood'.

"Good, now take my claw Clay."

He held out a massive obsidian talon in front of him. Clay stretched up and grasped it between both of his paws. He felt a rush and a familiar tingle run up his arms before it stopped.

"I hereby bind myself to you as your teacher, your instructor of flight and fight and your guardian."

He made to pull away, but stopped and looked at Clay as he gripped his talon more firmly before speaking out in a clear voice that surprised him.

"And I will promise to be your friend."

Megatronus smiled, this was definitely the beginning of something amazing.

* * *

Clay woke up with a start.

He looked around.

He was back in his cave, in the mountain, with the Guardians.

He looked down and nuzzled himself into his nest. Had any of it been real?

He turned and caught sight of a mark running around the upper inside of his left arm.

Cautiously he ran a claw over it.

It was of a dragon breathing fire while an illustration of wind flowed out from behind his wings.

"Megatronus?"

He whispered.

'I'm here...Clay. Our little secret, okay?'

The voice smiled in his mind.

Clay had to fight the urge to jump around like he was a 3 month old. It hadn't been a dream.

'Go little one, I sense others and they will be coming soon. I will be here, guiding from within and once the day is done we shall begin our training.'

Clay leapt out and raced towards the cave mouth, eager to finish his day so he could learn from his new mentor tonight.


End file.
